paixaorpg | Lost and Broken [active]

Entry tags:

Lost and Broken [active]

Character(s): Gabranth and whoever else shows up
Content: Gabranth takes to wandering the city after his release
Setting: I5
Time: Early afternoon
Warnings: ...A severely unhappy Judge Magister?

An empty shell of a man. That was the simplest way to describe Gabranth's mindset after all that had been done to him at the hands of the Organization. True, he could yet manage to be civil, but there was no joy to yet. His hope; the Empire's hope was gone. He had failed. Failed to protect the one thing he had been asked and sworn to do.

And what did he have to show for it? Nothing save the armor he wore - more out of habit than anything else at this point. After all, what else did he have to wear? Nothing, save for if he should once again impersonate his brother. But for all the armor he wore was as hollow as he, he could scarce manage to summon the willpower to not - even should it it be to something that he'd worn before more than once.

No, for now he'd simply be as he was. A failed guardian, with nothing left to protect.

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Larsa had been watching and waiting for quite some time now, hoping for any glimpse into what had happened to Judge Magister Gabranth. Even with as much time as he was spending looking for the man, the young prince was beginning to think he would never have any semblance of luck actually finding the man. At least Braska had given him a good amount of useful information and the talk had been rewarding. Timon's talk had been more informative, but decidedly depressing.

Regardless, Larsa had taken it as his personal duty to walk around and speak with as many people as he could. So, despite the fact that this area was completely foreign to him, there he was... and there he found the first solid hint as to what had happened to his guardian. The flash of armor off to his side garnered a second look and then a gasp of surprise and delight, a rare show of excitement from the prince.

"Judge Magister!" A good bit of distance still separated them, but Larsa moved closer, daring to hope that his cry had been heard.

Even after everything he had heard and everything that had been forced into him at Vexen's hands, there was one voice that Gabranth (Noah?) would never be able to ignore. How could he, after all the times he'd looked after the boy? It might have been nothing more than then the end result of his wishes to see him once more, but he would gladly accept it.

"My lord?" It was a tentative question, and one that spoke volumes of both what he had suffered at the hands of the Organization and his current state of mind, but it was an answer all the same, as he turned slowly in the direction of the voice.

If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake from it.

By the way Judge Gabranth was turning, Larsa gathered that his cry had been heard. This was good. The young prince threaded his way through the people as politely as he could manage. He didn't want to step on toes, yet his goal was to read his guardian's side as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before the crowd thinned and Larsa could finally slow down and stop close by. This man... this really was his Judge Magister Gabranth. Thank the Occuria...

He had no idea what to say; the man looked as though he had seen the end of the world and Larsa's heart broke. "Judge Magister... I am here."

It was all he could think of to say, the only thing that could convey his worry better than, "I fear for you."

In a way, he had. The end of his world at least; a world without hope. A world where once again he had failed to protect that which was most important to him. The fact that he'd then been drugged to the gills with ... whatever it had been hadn't helped, save to bring old painful memories of who he was before everything back up to the surface. Memories he had wished to never again remember so clearly.

"He said you'd been..." the sentence trailed off there, Gabranth both unwilling and unable to bring the final word to his lips, throat closing tight with all the emotions he hadn't been willing to show to the men in black cloaks.

A moment later he tried the sentence again, this time more successfully, although he had to avoid direct eye-contact with Larsa to do it. "He said you'd been slain."

Left unspoken was the reason for that (him not being there) and his desperate hopes that Larsa wasn't merely a figment of a fevered mind, but the tone in his voice made it almost unnecessary for him to bring either of them up.

Larsa stopped just a little bit away, within arm's length, but not close enough that he would be invading the man's personal space. The young prince's eyes were sad, upset at the idea of his guardian going through anything at all that might put him into such a state, let alone... anything that might convince him that his charge had been killed. Larsa's resolve to aid the Resistance strengthened at that moment, though the determination couldn't broach the worry etched upon his features.

"Whoever told you that was wrong," came the hard answer. "I am, and always will remain, normal and healthy."

Without thinking much of it, Larsa reached out to grasp the Judge Magister's lower arm gently, in an attempt to reason with logic: show the man through touch that he really was alive.

"If you can remember where your place of residence is, I wish to accompany you there." He didn't trust the streets... not anymore and it probably showed.

Gabranth would likely never admit it, but it had made a certain amount of sense at the time. He had little idea of what the men who had taken him were capable of, even now. And while he was well aware of the fact that his young charge could fight there was also the fact that he was still just a boy.

But that he had believed the man so readily was a fact he would carry with him to his grave. It was, after all, much harder to believe those words with Larsa here; a shuddering breath escaping his lips at the hand resting against his arm as he tried to retain at least some semblance of composure.

"I... yes," he answered with a nod. He wasn't so out of it as to forget that after all. And then, mostly because it was on his mind and he desperately needed an answer to it, he followed it up with a simple question. "Is this a dream?"

As much as Larsa wanted to be the one to help his guardian in a time like this, the young lord had to admit that he had never even found out where the Judge Magister even lived. They had been on their way to Gabranth's place of residence when he had been taken and Larsa had had to find his own shelter for the time being.

The prince's concerned eyes were resting on his guardian and would until they actually started moving. The hand on Gabranth's arm tightened just slightly, more to keep the youngest of the two stable than anything else, before Larsa stepped a little closer.

"Neither of us is spending any time in a dream-like state," came the matter-of-fact answer. "This is the waking world and as real as anything else." The worry was clear on his face, but none of it seeped into his voice. He was very careful about that. With a slight tug from the hand that grasped his guardian's arm, Larsa tried to take a step away, hoping to get them both moving.

"Do you recall where you were residing?"

Hadn't he just answered that? He didn't think he was in such bad a shape as to forget what he'd said. But no matter. There was little harm in repeating himself.

"Aye." There was a slight nod at that, and then they unmistakable sound of the pieces of his armor moving against one another as he pointed out the direction in which it lay. "That way."

It wasn't as close as it might have been otherwise, but that was no reason not to get moving. He disliked the streets on general principle, and so he would indeed follow his young lord's suggestion. It was time and past they moved on. He could deal with the matter of dreams to his satisfaction at a later date.

The double question was more a product of Larsa's uncertainty than anything else. He'd simply wanted to be sure and it had slipped his mind that he'd have asked before. Antsy, yes he was, though he wasn't really showing it aside from the worry in his eyes as they began moving.

The hand that had been resting on his guardian's arm dropped to the prince's side then as he began to walk in the appointed direction, being sure that Gabranth could do so as well before he went far.

And because he had to know now, he asked, "What is the last thing you remember?"

The last thing he remembered? Presumably Larsa meant before finding himself out on the streets. He had, after all, been wandering for some time now and he doubted Larsa was interested in the brief conversations he'd had while wandering.

Unfortunately, his recollection of just what had happened when was a little fuzzy, thanks in part to what Vexen had injected him with, and the resultant surge of memories from the past he attempted to ignore. As a result, there was a pause before answered, as he tried to shepherd his wayward thoughts into something resembling proper coherence.

"There was a man. He... injected me with something. I could not say what it was."

The idea of a human doing anything to another that might affect them as direly as the effect on the Judge Magister had been sent chills down Larsa's spine. He couldn't imagine what had happened and he wasn't entirely sure he ever wanted to find out.

"Do you recall our meeting beforehand?" The prince asked gently, needing to know if Gabranth did remember that or if he remembered pieces or nothing at all. Some part of him had a nurturing nature and this was starting to show through in how much he worried about his guardian.

Whatever had happened, Larsa was going to see this through to the end and he was going to help Gabranth as much as possible.

"Aye," Gabranth answered with a nod. It had been one of the things that had kept him from breaking down more then he already had, in their hands. The hope of a brighter future had been destroyed (or so he'd believed) but because they had taken that, he was thoroughly uninterested in anything they'd offered him.

(He'd always been the more stubborn of the two)

He might need a bit of reminding as to exactly where the conversation had been before he'd been so unceremoniously stolen away but that was more due to the fallibilities of the human mind then anything his captors had done to him.

"That is good." Larsa was a bit relieved to hear that, honestly. He had, somewhere deep inside, feared that Gabranth had forgotten, or been forced to forget, their meeting before he had been snatched. The young prince would have been absolutely heartbroken had that happened. It would have strained things for both of them and neither needed that right now.

"It is glad I am to see that you are all right, Judge Magister," he murmured as they moved through the streets. "Are you in need of anything while we are on our way?"

If a request was made, Larsa would do his best to fill it. "I do not wish to see you in need of anything whilst I am able to do something for you."

Forgotten? If anything his time at the hands of the Organization had done just the opposite. They'd dragged him through the worst parts of his life almost bodily - it was no surprise that a few extra things had come up with him.

(He should never have forgotten them.)

"I have all I need." They'd taken care of him well enough while they had him, although he didn't expect it was because they cared about him, and now that he knew that Larsa wasn't dead that was more than enough for the time being.

Larsa didn't really know what else to say, so he nodded and kept quiet for the rest of the journey, taking great care not to appear too worried or upset. The prince stepped through the streets next to his guardian, following the path he was being guided across and yet being careful not to fall too far behind.

"Is there anything you would like to discuss once we arrive?" he asked after a while, not wanting the silence to eat them or their time.

Was there anything he wanted to discuss? The answer was both yes and no. On the one hand he now knew two of the Organization by sight, if nothing else but he wasn't entirely sure that made for the greatest conversation. And yet, he wasn't willing to let that which the Organization had done go unanswered for.

Hadn't there been whispers of a group to oppose the Organization? That would surely be a good place to start.

"There's a group that opposes the Organization, correct?"

Larsa had admittedly wondered how much of the Resistance Gabranth knew and the question that was now posed to him answered that. A small nod accompanied the young prince's answer as he glanced over at his guardian once more.

"There is," Larsa answered firmly. "While you were away, I took it upon myself to acquire as much information as I could about this place. One of their leaders knows my name."

By that, he meant that he'd already introduced himself to the Resistance as a potential member. Whether they considered him to be one or not was an entirely different matter, but at least it was a step in the right direction. Braska already knew of his wish to be involved, so with any luck he could be if the time came.

Ah. Good. That would make things more tolerable, and after what that had told him Gabranth was more than willing to see an end to them. Not for that they had lied - he himself had done that - but for what they had done. They would answer for it.

"I would not be adverse to learning more of them," Gabranth admitted, after a brief pause. Or more than that even, and he wouldn't be entirely surprised if Larsa managed to pick up on that. He'd never really been the best at hiding his anger, after all.

Larsa had an idea what Gabranth meant by his words and the emperor wouldn’t mind sharing all of his knowledge with his guardian. He also couldn’t blame the man for being upset about what had happened. The emperor himself had been upset for quite awhile and he hadn’t experienced as much as Gabranth had.

Still, Larsa would wait until they were safely inside the building before he would offer up information like this. As nice as the steady rumble of voices in the streets was, it did nothing to ease his fear of being overheard. At least if they were outed later, there was a stronger possibility of finding the guilty party.

“Are we approaching our goal?” he asked finally, by way of asking if they were nearing the building.

Nor was Larsa the only one to wish to wait until they were safely indoors to speak of what had happened (if they were to speak on that) and what should be done in the future. Who knew who else was lurking in the crowds of people?

"Aye," he answered. "We are."

Maybe it was just coincidence or maybe he'd been unconsciously heading back to the place he called home, but whatever the reason they were fairly close. It would be much longer before they were there.

Figuring out which building it was they were headed for, Larsa moved ahead to open the door, holding it open behind him so his guardian would have an easier time following him inside. “I will tell you all I know once we are in your quarters,” the emperor told the Judge Magister as they moved further into the building. Larsa had no idea where to go next, so he glanced upwards at Gabranth with a very obvious ‘where to?’ expression.

They wouldn't have very far to go, luckily. Admittedly, the room that Gabranth has taken to calling his isn't on the first floor of the place, but the stairs are near enough to the entrance and they're only going to the second floor anyway - Gabranth leading the way with the assumption that Larsa will follow.

And one flight of stairs and a brief turn down the appropriate hallway, and they're at the room in question, Gabranth holding the door so that Larsa can head in first. The room itself is rather spartan, really; apparently Gabranth hasn't seen much need to personalize it overmuch. But there's an assortment of chairs to sit on at the very least, along with all the other things that one might expect to see in a hotel room.

It's not much, but it's his.

Larsa has nothing ill to say about the apartment, knowing that sometimes the smallest places can mean the most to a person. At least the Judge Magister had a place to call his own. That in and of itself was important enough. The prince followed his guardian, slipping through the doorway and out of the way before turning to wait for his guardian.

“I thank you for bringing me here,” the prince began, having been silent until they entered the room. Waiting until the door was shut and they were at least on their way to being comfortable, he continued, “I believe we were on the topic of the Resistance. I have met with one, perhaps two of their number, and they should know by this point that I am interested in aiding them.” He’d made that point quite clear during his talk with Braska after all.

"You're welcome, and we were," Gabranth answered with a brief nod. Them and those they opposed, but that last was obvious - or so he'd hope.

"I would not be opposed to siding with them myself."

Both for his own personal reasons and because wherever Larsa went so too would he go. Such was the life of a guardian. A life he was quite willing to live until he saw a brighter future for Archadia.

Larsa had hoped that his guardian would be willing to follow him in his quest to aid the Resistance, especially after what had happened, and so far he had not been disappointed.

"If you wish it, I may be able to arrange a meeting with the man I spoke to."

He wasn't sure how deeply entrenched Gabranth would wish to be, but Larsa himself had already given his name to the cause and he figured that having his guardian know the people he was building connections with wouldn't be a bad thing.

How deeply involved he was going to be was a question he could answer later. For now, he'd be happy enough to know more of them then he did - the journals weren't as useful as he would have liked in that matter.

No surprise, given the subject matter.

"I would be glad to speak with him."

“Then I will ask him later if he would care for a meeting,” Larsa answered, glad that the suggestion had gone over well. “I am sure he would not mind.” He paused for a moment, trying to think of what else he might need to say. “I am afraid I do not know much of what they do here, but any beginning is better than nothing.” That and the fact that Larsa was more than willing to find out even more.

“Is there anything else you would like to know while we are here?”

"So it is," Gabranth answered with a solemn nod. Anything was better than simply doing nothing. Perhaps he could even be of some use to them in a capacity more than simply being Larsa's guardian. After all, the 9th had been in charge of information and he would not be surprised if that turned out to be of use to this resistance.

Odd though it was to help the Resistance here when the Empire had been against the closest thing to the same on Ivalice.

"Nothing that I can think of at the moment."

"Then I shall ask for an audience. Perhaps he may answer what I am not able to." The emperor turned, as though he were about to go to another room to do something, but stopped when he remembered he wasn't in his own room anywhere.

"If you have no objections, I would prefer to reside nearby this place. I am willing to take my own room next door if that would be preferable..."

Larsa let his sentence trail off, knowing Gabranth would understand that he wasn't about to leave his guardian alone here, not until he was sure the man would be all right without him.

Even broken and shamed, there were still things that Gabranth had. Things that would never change. Pride, for one, even if it was the pride of a stray. It was for that reason, and that reason alone that he answered as he did - it would be strange indeed to see a grown man relying on the presence of a young boy in order to fall asleep.

"That would be the most seemly," he answered with a nod.

Next door would be fine by him.

Larsa returned the nod as he watched his guardian. They seemed to be getting somewhere and at least now... at least with this interaction, the Judge Magister knew his young lord was still alive and not going anywhere any time soon.

"That is where I shall reside."

Things still seemed a little tense in the air and that was what prompted Larsa, without any warning, to stride over and wrap his arms around Gabranth. They both needed the comfort right now.

The simple fact that Larsa wasn't intending to go anywhere was more than enough for Gabranth. Archades yet had its hope for a brighter future and that was more than enough for him.

Needless to say, the rather sudden hug took him rather by surprise. Not in a bad way, mind you, but it made it a little hard to hide either his shudder of relief or the fact that he was trying desperately not to let eyes overflow with tears.

But after a moment longer, and somber consideration, he carefully bent down and returned the gesture. What could it hurt?

Leaving his guardian alone in such a state was not on the prince's to-do list. So, it wouldn't happen. Simple enough a concept for anyone. And the feeling of the returned hug brought a smile to Larsa's lips as he held it for a moment before pulling away and letting his arms fall back to his sides.

"I have a short matter to attend to on the network, so if it would please you, I shall retire to my room for the evening. If you have need of me, please do not hesitate to ask me."

It would be his pleasure to aid Judge Gabranth in any way that he could.

Far be it for Gabranth to insist that Larsa stay with him at the cost of delaying what he had to do. It was important, and he'd hardly be far. Besides, it was hardly his right to monopolize his lord's time.

"Should I have need," he answered with a nod.

Of course, he still had his pride, and always would, but the offer was well appreciated. Whether or not he'd make use of it was another matter, but the gesture was still recognized.

Larsa answered with a nod and a smile as he stood there. He would have remained longer, but he didn't want to step on Gabranth's time or energy any loner than he had already.

"Then, I shall take my leave."

And with a slight incline of his head, the prince headed from his room to lay claim to the one next door.

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Lost and Broken [active]

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